With Memorial Day in the rear view mirror, swimming pools are open, outdoor concerts are tuning up, and Fairfax County residents will have plenty of activities to keep them occupied during the longest days of the year.
Here are the nominees for “Best Summer Activities in Fairfax County” as part of our FFXnow Readers’ Choice Awards. Did we miss your favorite activity below? Write them in!
Voting will close in two weeks. Be sure to cast your vote before 8:30 a.m. Friday, June 12.
Voting for Best After School Program in Fairfax County is still taking place. Be sure to cast your vote before voting closes next Friday, June 5 at 8:30 a.m.
The board of directors for NOVA Parks, the regional authority that owns and operates the park, voted at its May 21 meeting to standardize 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily as the W&OD Trail’s formal operating hours, effective immediately.
Dulles Airport main terminal (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)
After 10 days spent detained at Dulles International Airport, Ghanaian asylum seeker Anabella Gyasi and her son will go back to her home country. A judge with the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia ordered Friday that the pregnant woman cannot stay in the airport any longer.
“For the reasons stated from the bench, the Court finds that the welfare of the petitioners and the interests of justice are best served by allowing petitioners to return home immediately,” Judge Leonie M. Brinkema wrote after an emergency hearing the morning of May 29 in Alexandria.
Man walks dog past outdoor seating in the expansion of Reston Town Center (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)
Dunn Loring School Commemoration Planned — “Join FCPS on Saturday, May 30, from 10 a.m. to noon, at Dunn Loring Center to honor the rich history and lasting legacy of the building. This space has served generations of FCPS students, employees, and families since its establishment in 1939.” The building at 2334 Gallows Road will be demolished soon to make way for the construction of a new elementary school. [FCPS]
‘Swatting’ Call for Supreme Court Justice’s Home — “An apparent ‘swatting’ incident targeted the residence of Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett on Wednesday night, police confirmed to NBC News.” Fairfax County police say they quickly confirmed with Supreme Court Police assigned to Barrett’s home that a report of gunshots sent to the department’s non-emergency line around 9 p.m. on May 27 “was fictitious.” [NBC4]
Data Center Boom Fueling Pollution — “The 10,500 generators attached to data centers in Virginia produce enough pollution to harm public health even if used rarely, according to a new analysis of emissions permits” that reviewed permits and emissions filings for 132 sites operating in Northern Virginia through the end of 2024. Another 19 data centers have been approved in the region since then. [Washington Post]
Waymo Starts Mapping N. Va. — “Driverless car company Waymo has confirmed to FOX 5 D.C. that it is now mapping parts of Northern Virginia.” Though Virginia hasn’t yet authorized fully autonomous ride-hailing services, Waymo policy adviser Rich Harrington says the company’s “vehicles were already operating on roads in Alexandria with safety drivers behind the wheel and would soon begin operating in Arlington as well.” [FOX5]
Beyer Seeks to Block Trump Arch — “Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.) is taking legislative aim at President Trump’s proposed 250-foot ‘triumphal arch’ near Arlington National Cemetery.” The congressman will introduce a bill that prohibits the use of federal funds for the arch and bars the federal government from building the arch or any similar structure on National Park Service-owned land in the D.C. region. [ARLnow]
Worker Burned by Live Wire in Tysons — “Around 11:30 a.m. [on May 27], the Fairfax County Police Department helicopter responded to the 1900 block of Cathy Lane after the construction worker, a male, fell [from a ladder] and hit the live wire, causing burn injuries. He was transported to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.” [WJLA]
Law Could Save People With Disabilities — A bill signed into law from Chesterfield Del. Leslie Mehta will require “certain healthcare providers to conduct regular simulations so that employees are extra prepared to identify and respond to emergencies experienced by people with disabilities under their care.” [Virginia Mercury]
Two New Flights Heading to Dulles — “United Airlines will add two nonstop routes from Washington Dulles later this year, including service to Orange County, California, and San José del Cabo, Mexico. The Orange County/Santa Ana route is scheduled to begin Aug. 11 and will operate daily year-round on a Boeing 737,” while the San Jose del Cabo route will launch on Oct. 25 and operate four times a week. [Patch]
New Legal Notice — ABC permit application for restaurant license; objections within 30 days. [Public Notices]
It’s Friday — Expect a sunny day with a high of 78°F. Winds will shift from north to west at 5 to 7 mph in the afternoon. Overnight, the weather will be mostly clear with a low of around 60°F, and southwest winds at 7 mph. [NWS]
Cedar Lane is closed at Electric Avenue in Dunn Loring after a crash involving an e-bike and a vehicle (via Google Maps)
An electric bicycle rider was critically injured in a crash on Cedar Lane in Dunn Loring earlier this afternoon (Thursday).
Fairfax County police and fire units were dispatched to Cedar Lane at Electric Avenue at around 3:35 p.m. for a crash involving a cyclist and a vehicle, according to scanner traffic.
Mian Sichuan Noodle is coming soon to Pike 7 Plaza in Tysons (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)
An acclaimed Chinese restaurant with Sichuan-style noodles and dumplings is planning a new location in Tysons.
Mian Sichuan Noodle is preparing to open at 8395 Leesburg Pike in Pike 7 Plaza, replacing a vacancy left by the decades-old China Wok restaurant last summer. Exterior signage for Mian Sichuan Noodle has appeared at the retail bay after the restaurant applied for a permit there earlier this year.
The CIA seal next to a U.S. flag at the agency's Langley headquarters (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File)
A former senior CIA official with top secret-level clearance is accused of stealing hundreds of gold bars worth more than $40 million from the federal government and stashing them in his home.
David Rush was arrested and charged with criminal theft of public money last week, according to federal court filings in Virginia, where he lives.
Power lines connected to Reston substation (staff photo by James Jarvis)
Plans to grow Northern Virginia’s economy are showing progress, but rising housing costs and infrastructure demands could threaten the region’s long-term competitiveness, a new report says.
The DMV Summer Kickoff Music Fest at Lerner Town Square in Tysons (courtesy Tysons Community Alliance)
Lerner Town Square in Tysons will come to life this Sunday (May 31) with the distinctive beats of go-go music.
Take over the parking lot at 8025 Galleria Drive from noon to 8 p.m., this year’s DMV Summer Kickoff Music Fest will double as a 50th anniversary celebration of the musical genre invented in D.C.
Townhouses along Route 28 in Chantilly (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)
Fairfax Speller Reaches Bee Semifinals — “Students from Prince William and Fairfax counties reached the semifinals of the Scripps National Spelling Bee before being eliminated in the seventh round Wednesday. Siya Sampath, a seventh-grader at Haymarket’s Ronald Reagan Middle School, and Laasya Mohan, a fourth-grader at Floris Elementary School in Herndon, wound up tied for 31st among the 247 spellers.” [Inside NoVA]
Dominion Merger Raises Affordability Questions — “A proposed merger between Dominion Energy and NextEra Energy raises new possibilities and further questions in the race to match Virginia’s booming energy demand.” Northern Virginia lawmakers say they will be watching the merger closely “to ensure that creating such a large utility actually has the promised effect of driving down energy costs.” [ARLnow]
Metro Cameras Used to Assist Police — “In the past six weeks, three men with guns have been arrested at a Metro station, on a Metro train or on a Metrobus thanks in large part to WMATA’s extensive, high-definition camera system … In March, Metro General Manager Randy Clarke credited Metro’s safety in part to the cameras throughout the system.” [NBC4]
Annandale Street Receives Honorary Name — “A section of John Marr Drive in Annandale has been given the honorary name ‘Seoul Boulevard.’ Three signs were installed earlier this month – at the intersection of John Marr Drive and Columbia Pike, at the Tom Davis Drive intersection in front of the Annandale Post Office, and at the Little River Turnpike intersection in front of the Eastgate shopping center.” [Annandale Today]
Tysons Chef Makes Cooking Show Finals — “Chef Chris Morgan had never entered a cooking competition before diving into the inaugural season of ‘America’s Culinary Cup’ on CBS.” Though he was voted by other contestants as the least likely to win at one point during the season, the executive chef behind Joon in Tysons ultimately finished as the runner-up. [WTOP]
Company Envisions Air Travel Without an Airport — “A new market study from Electra shows there’s an existing market for their in-development EL9 Ultra Short, a nine passenger hybrid-electric airplane capable of taking off and landing in just 150 feet.” Based at Manassas Regional Airport, the company hopes to usher in a future of “direct aviation” where someone could park at Tysons Corner Center, for example, and then fly directly to a heliport in Manhattan without going through an airport. [WTOP]
Sweetgreen to Add McLean Pick-Up Lane — “Sweetgreen Inc., the D.C.-born purveyor of all things salad, will roll out its first Greater Washington quasi-drive-thru lane in McLean. Permits were filed this week to add a ‘sweetlane'” at the Chesterbrook Shopping Center eatery where customers can pick up online orders. [Washington Business Journal]
Former Boy Scouts Lead Lion Dance Team — “Co-founded by friends who grew up watching kung fu movies, a Northern Virginia lion dance team is keeping Chinese and Vietnamese cultural traditions alive — one loud, energetic performance at a time … Now, the Hung Vuong Lion Dance Team is an extracurricular activity of a joint Boy and Girl Scout troop, Troop 612, based in Fairfax.” [WTOP]
It’s Thursday — Expect a sunny day with temperatures reaching up to 79°F. Winds will come from the north at 7 to 11 mph, with gusts up to 21 mph. The night will be mostly clear, with temperatures dropping to around 56°F and a north wind blowing at 6 to 8 mph. [NWS]
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